


Innocence

by berriikou



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Anarchy, Badlands, DadSchlatt, Disc War, DreamSMP - Freeform, Futuristic Technology, M/M, Pogtopia, Sleepyboisinc - Freeform, Subscribe to Technoblade, Villain Arc, dream team, kind of bnha themed tbh, lots of nonsense, modern time, pog - Freeform, powers au, tapl harvey rights, tyrant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:01:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28374330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/berriikou/pseuds/berriikou
Summary: Technoblade's moral compass is torn by the world around him, budding relationships, tangled friendships, and a new power-hungry tyrant leader that rises from the ashes of war.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Sleepyboisinc - Relationship
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	Innocence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An introduction to (most) of the factions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! The name's berrii. I've got a lot of thoughts whirling around up in my head, but somehow this one managed to find its way to the front and I managed to fumble this mess of an idea together. This story is set in modern times, although technology is vastly improved, countries are divided in factions, and there's magic. The magic I had in mind is more based off of the system in My Hero Academia, born into a person themselves. 
> 
> The POVs will switch around, but of course I will be sure to clearly mark them. I'm planning on putting Technoblade out as the one with the most POV time because I love Technoblade and you should subscribe to him.
> 
> BUT, that is not all. There will be DNF! It's not the main main point of the fic, but it will definitely be a huge part in setting up the plot. It's probably going to be pretty slow, building the relationship up, because I like that type of shit.
> 
> Angst? Maybe, who knows. I do plan on depicting some violence, but nothing super gorey or anything.

_“All is as if the world did cease to exist. The city's monuments go unseen, its past unheard, and its culture slowly fading in the dismal sea.”_

**_― Nathan Reese Maher_ **

**The Antarctic Empire**

It was the middle of spring. A time of warmth and new life. Here, however, this was not the case. The constant chill of winter coasted across the land, snow covered the ground as far as the eye could see. It was almost as if the land was cursed.

In the midst of the cold, a humanoid man shuffled around in his house, settled just in the middle of the faction's territory in which he called home. The Antarctic Empire. Although they were not in the frigid climate of the true Arctic, the land on which the faction's boundaries were set certainly earned its name. Freezing temperatures, constantly being buffeted by cool winds that blew snow down from the north, the consistently cloudy skies, all of these factors were the cause of the faction's name. Truly fitting, was it not?

This faction, this magnificent faction, that only held a few small villages and a large home, made for two, was ruled by two leaders, as seemed like almost tradition in their faction- no. Their _empire_. Philza and Technoblade, the two most well-known anarchists in the wide, expansive lands of L'manberg, the two leaders of the far off, chilled lands of the north.

Philza was the more reasonable of the two, he used logic and meticulously formed battle plans to prepare for any conflict that might fall upon them. Due to the lack of conflict, however, Phil found himself growing bored and began building their faction up, creating clear boundaries and more villages, which were eventually forgotten about. They had no other people to move into new homes, just the few living in the already standing villages. 

Technoblade could see the impatient glow in his old friend's eyes, the distant hunger for battle churning in his gut. He felt it too, but Phil could see only the surface of that hunger.

It came like a starvation, tearing apart his morale from deep inside until there was nothing left. Then, there were the voices. 

At first, the voices only flooded into his head as he drifted off to sleep. They began to talk when he woke in the mornings, soon leading into following him through his daily tasks until all he could hear was the constant screams that begged for blood. The hunger for blood could never be fended off. 

Techno pulled on his heavy winter boots, then draped his cape over his shoulders and clasped the ends together at the front. He reached for his sword, shield, and pickaxe, tucking them into the many folds of his gown that hid his weapons, but kept them at a comforting closeness. The last item he reached for was his crown, made of pure gold and encrusted with rubies, emeralds, and diamonds. He carefully set it upon his head, adjusting it accordingly to be sure it wouldn't tangle with the bandages wrapped securely around his eyes.

The bandages provided comfort for the humanoid, hiding his milky white eyes from sight to avoid embarrassment. Technoblade, the most talented swordsman in all of L'manberg, was blind. 

Although born blind, at the ripe age of four Techno developed his special magic, magic that only he could use. The gift of sight. He could see, like images pulled forth in his head from the real world. He could see colors, shapes, lines, and everything in-between. Unfortunately, he was bullied for his appearance, being half-pig, with milky white eyes, void of any pupil. His solution was to hide from the world. Bandages wrapped carefully and securely around his head, kept his worries at bay. Even with this new appearance, he could still see. He saw past the blindfold and saw the world.

Only around his closest friends would he ever take the bandages away, showing his true looks to them only under the most unbreakable of trusts. Phil was the only one who had ever seen him free of the bandages, apart from his late mother and father.

Adjusting the bandages for a final time, Techno curled his fingers around the doorknob and turned, opening the door to let the cold air blast him as soon as he stepped out. He closed the door as quickly as he could, turning on his heel and racing through the blizzard in the direction he knew his only friend was. The footprints were already covered by snow, it was coming down in sheets, testing the humanoid's magical sight. He managed to pick out the familiar orange glow of torches, and within moments, he was slamming a door shut and shaking snow from his braided hair. 

Phil didn't so much as flinch at the sound of the door, though he did look up as Techno let loose a muttered string of curses while he pulled his boots off. "You're cleaning that snow up yourself, Techno," Phil said, hiding a small smirk by turning back to the brewing stand sitting in front of him. The pig-man snorted and rolled his eyes, though obviously, it was unseen. He picked up a towel and wiped the snow from the floor, setting his boots on top of it to let them dry out. 

The taller man approached the other, peering over his shoulder to see what he was brewing. "Strength potions? Are you goin' to war without me, Phil?" He asked teasingly, brushing snow off his shoulders.

Phil glanced back up at him, "Wilbur and Tommy invited us to Pogtopia for a meeting. I'm just preparing, no reason to worry." He lifted a hand and waved it dismissively as if what he'd said was old news.

"What? When was I bein' informed of this?" Techno protested, narrowing his eyes, "I could have used more warnin'. When are we leaving?" He moved through the small building, digging through chests for supplies and first aid. While he knew the leaders of Pogtopia quite well, he knew how testy they could be. They were paranoid and liked to start fights for no reason. Not to mention they happened to be in yet another war with Dream's faction, over some stupid music discs that frankly shouldn't have been seen as that valuable.

Picking up his collection of perfectly brewed potions, Phil began packing said potions into his bag, "Sorry Techno, I didn't have a chance to tell you. The message only just came through this morning." He lifted his wrist, showing his watch to the tall humanoid. Techno lowered his head and peered at it, muttering under his breath as he read the message shown on the small screen.

"I'll go get Carl ready." After hearing a quick, affirmative 'ok' from Philza, he turned on his heel, slipping out into the blizzard with his bag slung around one shoulder. The man lifted an arm to shield his eyes from the storm as if the action would stop his magic fueled vision from being obscured. He stifled an irritated sigh and brought his pace to a run, using only a gut instinct and the light of a few torches to guide him toward the stables.

With an intense stroke of luck, Techno arrived at the huge doors of the stables, pushing one to the side and darting into the building, closing the door behind himself as quickly as possible. A woman with frosty blue horns and a pair of wings greeted him as he arrived, dipping her head respectfully to him. "Carl has been fed and should be ready to go, I've given his saddle a quick clean as well."

"Thank you, Sasha." Techno walked past her, his eyes settled on the last stall near the end of the barn. His boots left a track of snow behind, but the concrete below was so dirty it made almost no difference. He hated the stables, not only because of the awful smell but because it looked too.. old-fashioned, we'll say, for his tastes. The humanoid stopped in front of his horse's stall, waiting for him to notice his presence.

Carl turned at the sound of feet, immediately walking over to the door and pushing his head toward his owner. Techno hid a smile and pet his nose briefly before taking him out. He lifted his right foot into the stirrup and swung himself over, securing both of his boots in the equipment. Sasha was waiting for him near the door, opening it wide as he approached. He acknowledged the gesture with a nod and rode out into the storm.

* * *

Techno hopped off of Carl as he and Phil came to a halt at the entrance to Pogtopia. 

The entrance wasn't much of a sight. A huge door built into the side of a cliff, with stairs that led down into the echoing depths of a ravine. Techno felt like they could do better.

After tying Carl up to a fence post, he trailed behind Phil as they entered the cave.

While Techno didn't particularly enjoy the thought of living underground, he had to admit that Pogtopia was quite impressive while they walked down the stairs, into the heart of the ravine. He remembered, back when he and his brothers were children, Techno had taught them how to efficiently farm potatoes as a food source. Their potato farm had been refined a bit, but still, he found it hard to believe the farm hadn't been moved or replaced.

Phil went ahead to greet Tommy and Wilbur first, heading into the deeper portion of the cave. Techno stood over a bridge overhanging the torch-lit ravine, staring out at what used to be his home. He scrunched his nose up and turned away to follow his companion, but was instead met by a new face. 

The newcomer looked up at the humanoid in surprise, then the expression changed to irritation as he took note of their height difference. He had white clout glasses perched on his head, a blue shirt with a symbol in the middle of it that read '404'. His deep brown hair was combed and settled on his head quite neatly. Stunning blue eyes met his, even past the bandages. Techno felt an involuntary shiver creep up his spine.

"Are you Technoblade?" 

"Who's askin'?" The pig-man reached up and readjusted his crown, then made sure the bandages around his eyes were still tight.

"My name is George, I go by Georgenotfound with strangers." George quickly introduced himself, looking a bit flustered in the presence of "The Blade" himself.

"Didn't know Wilbur hired a new goon," Techno said with a sniff. "Must've needed more help controlling Tommy than I thought," He ended his thought with a shrug and walked right past George, heading down the stairs to join Phil.

He heard footsteps behind him and turned to see the shorter man following him, "Tommy _is_ a handful." George admitted, falling in step with the humanoid, "But that's not really why Wilbur invited me to join him. I needed a place to live and he offered me a place in Pogtopia." He shrugged and tugged at the bottom of his shirt, avoiding eye contact as if he didn't want to talk about the situation any further.

Techno bit back a questioning reply and glanced down at the new face, "Can you show me where Phil went? We're supposed to be meeting Wilbur and Tommy." 

"Right this way," George took the lead with no problem, leading him through winding tunnels until they reached a massive cave, filled with lanterns and littered with pieces of technology. Phil, Wilbur, and Tommy were stood facing each other, clearly deep in conversation until the new arrivals walked in.

"Techno!" Tommy shouted, breaking away from the conversation to aim a punch at his older brother. Techno grabbed Tommy's fist before it could connect with his stomach, pushing it down and glaring at the younger boy. "Come on, big man. That was a fluke, admit it." He propped an arm up on the humanoid's shoulder and leaned on him with a stupid grin aimed at Wilbur.

Techno was, admittedly, surprised at how tall Tommy was. He was a little taller than the humanoid's shoulders now. "You're too slow, Tommy." He shoved his younger brother off of him, causing him to lose his balance. Tommy recomposed himself and glared at the other. Techno had already turned away, eyeing the figure in the shadows.

A masked face, black and white smile, green hoodie, and a sharpened axe stepped forward from the darkness.

"Dream."

* * *

**Pogtopia**

Wilbur pushed a hand through his fluffy hair, curling his fingers around the bottom of his beanie to readjust it. Phil stood at his side as the others interacted, George coming up to Wilbur's other side.

"What is Dream doing here?" Techno's head turned slowly to stare at him through the blanket of bandages that hid his eyes all too well. Wilbur felt unsettled by Technoblade, despite being twins. He never knew what his older brother was thinking, could never see anything being given away on his face. It worried him.

"I've invited him today to discuss a negotiation. You and Phil are here because we know you have discs, two of them if I'm not mistaken." Wilbur looked around at the group, urging them all to come closer with a simple nod. His influence had grown over the past years.

"Wilbur, those are good music discs. I'm not giving up my music for your stupid war." Technoblade was quick to argue, Phil nodding in agreement. 

"Sorry Will, I agree with Techno. This war has nothing to do with us." 

Wilbur frowned. They were stubborn as always. He glanced at Tommy and gave him a slight shake of his head at the look in his younger brother's eyes. It wasn't time for Tommy to start arguing. Not yet, anyway. "Dream, we've already gone over a few ideas before they," Will gestured at Techno and Phil before continuing, "arrived. Please fill them in."

Everyone's heads swiveled to lock onto Dream. George was staring quite intensely, more studying him than anything. Wilbur brushed it off and listened as the masked man began.

"Despite Tommy disagreeing, I still think our best option is to exchange your discs for our diamonds. Wilbur said he wouldn't give up all the discs, but he would give up one for a fair trade of diamonds with equal value." Dream turned to study Tommy, who was glaring up at him challengingly. "There will be major consequences if we don't work out a fair exchange." He stopped speaking, indicating that any ideas could be thrown out at random.

"Listen, Big D. I have an idea," Tommy started, continuing before Wilbur could get a chance to silence him, "how about, _you don't get any discs and I grind you into a pulp, right here and right now_." The threat hung above the group like a storm, but Dream didn't seem phased.

"Does anyone else have anything?" Dream held up a hand as Tommy opened his mouth to shout, "Besides worthless threats?"

The group stood, thinking deeply. Many ideas were brought up, then shot down just as quickly. After what felt like ages, Dream accepted the terms of one idea, originated from Philza.

Dream would share whatever amount of riches with Pogtopia as they wanted, as long as it was reasonable, and Dream would receive 3 out of their 5 discs in return. Phil and Techno refused to give up their two discs, but Wilbur had seen that coming. They'd have to be convinced another time.

For now, Wilbur had to think about the current deal. He knew Tommy would never stop going after the discs, but if they could keep their home standing for one more day, he had to take the deal.

They shook hands, and the deal was set.

* * *

_George's POV_

George knew he had next to nothing to do with the situation, but he was allowed to sit in, and that was enough for him. He found himself subconsciously glaring at Technoblade countless times, his irritation only growing at how tall the humanoid was. How was that any kind of fair? He felt like an ant compared to the pig-man.

When Dream had started speaking, however, his attention was pulled away from Technoblade and now locked onto this mysterious man, a man who had fought far too hard for a few music discs.

Wilbur's agreement to the terms of this new deal was not surprising. George knew what would come next.

They would plan an attack on Dream's faction, steal back their discs, they would have a battle over them until someone got most of the discs, and then the system would repeat itself. This was the first time George had properly seen Dream without a sword held to his throat.

When everyone cleared the room, Wilbur leading Phil and Techno back outside, and Tommy going down to his "Prime Path", whatever that meant, George was left alone with Dream. He moved to sit down at the table in the center of the room, the table that none of them had sat at during the meeting. Propping his legs up on the wood, he leaned his head back and the two of them studied each other in silence.

"You didn't say anything that entire time. Why is that, George?" Dream was the first to break the silence, though he made no move to sit down.

"I only live here because I need a place to stay. I didn't want to get wrapped up in this war, so I try to stay out of it until they need me to fight. In case you haven't noticed, we aren't much of an army. And neither are you." George crossed his arms after speaking, uneasy around who was supposed to be his enemy. He was intimidating this close up, and the fact that he already knew George's name didn't sit right with him.

"Ouch, low blow." Dream studied him for one last moment before finally deciding to sit down in the chair beside the other man. "Y'know, my faction is always looking for new members," He mused, toying with a piece of stone on the table, "You wouldn't have to get wrapped up in the war if you don't want to. You'll be safe and protected."

George had no idea what Dream was up to, or why he was opening up an opportunity to remove himself from the conflict that he had no business in. "Why are you asking me? What is your plan here, exactly?" 

"Nothing bad, George, believe me. I just saw something good in you when I saw you here today. I knew you'd choose to be on the good side, my side, if you had the opportunity." Despite not being able to see his face, George could tell he was being serious by the way he was sitting and by the way his head was turned to look directly at him.

"What if I decline?" 

The masked man leaned forward in his seat, angling himself so their faces were only a few inches apart. "Well... That would just be a real shame... Wouldn't it?" Dream's voice dropped, dripping with an unspoken threat that sent goosebumps up his arms. 

...

"I'll think about it."

Dream stood abruptly and walked toward the door, pausing at the entry to glance back at the man, "Good choice. I'll be back in two days to complete the trade. Have a decision ready by then." 

George sat there in silence as the door was shut behind him, wondering what the hell had just happened.

* * *

**Dream Team**

Dream twirled his axe between his fingers as he approached his faction's border. Sapnap and BadBoyHalo were waiting for him, looking up from their conversation to wave as he approached. "Did you get him?" Sapnap was quick to ask.

"He said he'd think about my offer. You were right, he doesn't want to be mixed up in this dumb war," Dream lowered his axe to his side and hummed. "I can see why you caught an interest in him."

Sapnap gave a smug smirk in response, "And you doubted me, Dream." The masked man fixed a glare on him in response, but Bad quickly interrupted their conversation.

"Did Technoblade and Philza end up showing?" He asked, his milky white eyes fixated on him as he nodded, "Why did they even need to be there, did they say?"

"They have discs. That, and I heard part of their conversation on my way out, Wilbur and Philza's conversation that is. Wilbur wants the Antarctic Empire to assist them when we inevitably raid Pogtopia again. Phil seemed hesitant but I think he agreed." Dream paused and pushed past his friends to begin walking back to their base. He wasn't all that bothered by the new alliance, but Technoblade was what worried him most. "Techno didn't say much."

He'd been beaten by Technoblade more times than he could count. Although there were some occasions where Dream came out victorious, they were always close calls. Now, he had teammates backing him up, but to fight "The Blade" himself? He worried about the outcome.

Shaking his head, Dream stole a glance back at his friends, who were now following close behind him. "This is good news though," He decided, then felt he needed to elaborate at the concerned looks on their faces, "It means they're weak right now. They would never ask for help unless they _really_ need it, we all know how stubborn they are." Heads nodded in agreement. "We can overpower them easily, it's Technoblade and Philza I'm more worried about. The few conflicts they get in, they always win, even though it's just the two of them."

Sapnap and Bad glanced at each other. They'd never heard Dream sound so... worried. They knew they'd need a better plan than just charging right into battle this time. "Right... So when are you going to get George then? We could use his help to win this thing," Sapnap pointed out.

Dream stopped walking quite abruptly. "I told him he wouldn't get wrapped up in this war, even if he does join us." His voice left no room for arguments, "He's not going to be forced to fight for us, especially not against his old faction." He continued walking, picking up the pace to move farther ahead of his friends.

"Geez. What's he so defensive for?" Bad frowned, following Sapnap as they continued along as well. "Do you think maybe it's about his pride? He doesn't like admitting he needs help, you and I know that, so maybe he just doesn't want to give in, because he sees it as giving up." He ended up answering his own question.

"I think you're right, Bad, but there's something else that I can't put my finger on. He's never been that defensive around us before, it's like he's hiding something." Sapnap pushed a hand through his hair, "Maybe I'm crazy."

"Did you not get enough sleep, Sappynappy?" Bad teased nudging his shoulder and flicking the back of his leg with his razor whip of a tail. The other man rolled his eyes and they hurried to catch up with Dream, their concerns fading into the backs of their minds.

* * *

**Eret's Kingdom**

Eret lifted his crown from his head, holding it in his lap as he studied it with a frown.

They always had thoughts like this, like they weren't good enough to be a king, or good enough to rule over such a dense population.

Eret's kingdom was home to over 10,000 people, the largest territory in the entirety of L'manberg. Yet, she never felt that it was right for her to be king.

Footsteps pulled the king from his thoughts, who quickly placed the crown on his head and forced a smile for whoever had come to see him. "Hi, Eret." The kind voice was all he needed to drop the smile and sigh.

"Hi, Harvey."

"Do you want to go on a walk? You look like you need a break." Harvey's offer was too tempting to refuse. Eret stood and stepped down from their throne, taking Harvey's hand with a more genuine smile.

Taking the gesture as a yes, the two of them closed their eyes and a familiar feeling of falling took them over. It was over within moments, and when they opened their eyes, they were standing in a field of flowers. "I like the way you think," Eret said, releasing Harvey's hand to pluck a simple white daisy, lifting it to their nose to smell it.

The king turned to look at Harvey and take in his appearance. He rarely changed out of his multi-colored hoodie, one sleeve orange, the other green, and the torso a bright red color. He also wore a mask that hid the lower part of his face, the colors almost matching exactly with his hoodie's sleeves. Eret always admired his boots though. They were simple, but they were quite tall and suited the younger man.

Harvey picked up a flower as well. He approached Eret, lifting the flower to his ear and gently tucking it behind a tuft of hair. He stepped back and smiled, "Looks good. Although, you look a bit too serious with that outfit on to rock that flower." 

Eret rolled their eyes and pushed the daisy they were holding into Harvey's hair. "At least it's stylish, you rarely change out of that hoodie." 

"You barely change out of _your_ outfit, you can't judge me!" He shot back with a roll of his eyes and turned to walk away. Eret caught his upper arm and pulled him back, ending up knocking the two of them into the grass. They laughed together, eventually letting the sound die off to listen to the sound of nature.

"It's been a long time since I've enjoyed a break. You're a great friend Harvey, thank you for this." 

"Anytime, Your Majesty."

* * *

**Schlatt's Party**

The night was fast approaching that day, the sun dipping below the horizon to allow the moon to take over. Midnight, when everything was still, a party took place.

A strange tower, one that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, stood tall in the middle of L'manberg's territory, a patch of land that no one had yet taken over. Upon closer inspection, it looked as though it was just built from stone, apart from a wooden door and a bench sitting meters away from the base. 

Inside, however, was much more modern. Stairs led up to the first "room", a living space filled with sitting areas and a massive tv that followed the curve of the walls. This is where the party took place.

Drinks were filled and refilled, shots were downed, shouting filled the room with noise.

A loud clinking of a spoon on a wine glass settled the action down, attentions and heads turning to the cause of the noise.

"Well boys, we've made it. Congratulations." 

A chorus of cheers rose and then fell just as quickly.

A tall man was stood on a table, his timberland boots planted on either edge to keep himself balanced. Hidden underneath a sweater, a short, fluffy tail wiggled unconsciously, responding to the attention he was being given. His facial hair was quite wild at first glance, but it was a style he rocked and one he liked to call "muttonchops." Thick ram horns curled around his long, fluffy ears, though partially obscured by the mess of brown hair on his head. He held an aura of power around him, and all the party-goers were uneasy as he stood, towered above them.

"You all have stuck with me for this long, so let's hope all of you are still on board. If _any_ of you have a problem with me or my ideals, leave." Against his better judgment, a few people stood and removed themselves from the tower. "How... disappointing. Anyone else?"

"We're with you Schlatt." One voice finally rose in response. A loyal companion of his.

"Good, thank you, Minx." Schlatt lifted a hand and brushed a finger against one of his horns, considering his next words. The rest in attendance immediately sat up to listen. He never thought about his words. This was big.

After a moment, Schlatt finally continued, "I need volunteers. Whoever decides they want to be helpful will be going into different factions and forming bonds with their leaders, meanwhile giving me intel that you gather. Useful information; maps of the territory, who's all in charge, allies, and enemies, etcetera." Hands flew up in response to this, but Schlatt glared at all of them, "Use your voices, dumbasses, we're not in high school." 

The first to speak up was one of two of his youngest members, an enderman hybrid.

The hybrid in question stood up and quickly adjusted his tie to seem more presentable, tugging the sleeves of his black suit down as far as they would go. Because of his height, they'd had to have his suit specially tailored, and even then it was still a tad too small. On his head sat a small, golden crown, and poking through his hair were two small horns. His fingertips were sharpened slightly like claws, and oddly enough, the boy had a tail. They'd never been able to figure out exactly what he was a hybrid of other than enderman, so they opted for referring to him as a mutt. He'd never had the heart to argue.

"I'd like to go to the Antarctic Empire. I heard "The Blade" is a hybrid too. Maybe having something in common will help me get close to them."

"Good plan, kid. You're leaving in the morning then. Go get ready." Schlatt didn't think that the boy would accomplish his assignment at all, he was too focused on making friends and having a good time. He'd have to send someone else after him at some point, but for the time being, he decided to give him a chance.

"Yes sir!" The enderman hybrid nodded and darted up the stairs, winding through the tower to get to his room and pack.

"Tubbo," Schlatt said, drawing the attention back to himself. "You're going to Pogtopia. There's another kid there that you can 'befriend'."

The young boy, picked out of a bunch, nodded wearily and headed up after the other boy.

Tubbo had even less of a chance at impressing him than the enderman, but he was smart. He was built to be a leader, at least in the future. Schlatt usually hated kids, and for good reason, but he'd allowed these two to join him for a multitude of reasons.

One of them being the fact that he was Tubbo's father. Biologically too. He couldn't remember past yesterday, let alone seventeen years ago, so he never thought about how exactly that had come to be.

He silently decided he'd be escorting Tubbo to Pogtopia in the morning, so they could have one last conversation before they parted ways.

Schlatt went through the rest of his group, picking people to remain by his side and plan, and others to infiltrate the factions.

"Fundy, you're going to Eret. Minx, you stay with me. Quackity, I want you to go to Dream. I trust you to do well there." The last three, his most trusted companions, all agreed without complaint. As they went to go pack, Schlatt pulled Quackity aside.

"Listen, I trust you the most out of all of these idiots. Don't let me down, Alex." His fingers curled around Quackity's upper arm, causing him to move away.

"I know, Schlatt, I got it. When have I ever disappointed you?" He met Schlatt's cold gaze and finally managed to push his hand off of his arm. 

Schlatt watched him leave with a smirk.

* * *

_Tubbo's POV_

The boy tugged at the straps of his backpack anxiously, waiting outside the tower with his only current friend.

"Ranboo, I don't know if you've ever mentioned it before, but why did you decide to join Schlatt?" Tubbo glanced up at the enderman hybrid, who looked down at him with heterochromatic eyes. He pushed a hand through his black and white hair, looking uncomfortable.

"Well, he found me when I was younger. Saved me from a trap actually. We parted ways after I was healed up, but we ran into each other again and I knew I owed him my life, so on the terms that my life debt was repaid, I joined his group. I guess I don't really... regret it. But I don't agree with everything he stands for." Ranboo sounded like he wanted to go further, but forced himself to stop talking.

Tubbo moved closer to his much taller friend and gave him an awkward pat on the arm, "He's not all bad. Some of the things he does are... questionable," Ranboo looked doubtful at that, "but he's trying to make life better for us. We'll be okay, big man." 

The hybrid managed a smile at that and rested a hand on Tubbo's. "Thanks."

The two boys immediately moved away from each other at the sound of a door opening and closing. "Boys! Are you ready to go?" Schlatt's voice boomed out from behind them.

"Ready to go." He echoed as he turned to look at his father. Schlatt looked pretty nice for once, he was well-groomed and his suit was neatly ironed. "Are you coming with us?"

Schlatt approached the boys, slinging an arm around each of their shoulders, "Well, kid, the mutt here is gonna be going in the opposite direction. So he better get going if he wants to make it by nightfall." He turned a harsh look on Ranboo.

"Right, sorry. I'm going now. Bye Tubbo!" With an apologetic look from Tubbo, Ranboo wiggled out from Schlatt's arm and raced off, his long legs carrying him across the grass until he was out of sight.

"Bye Ranboo.." He whispered, silently wishing luck to his friend as he sped off.

The goat-man pulled his arm away from Tubbo and he started walking. The boy hurried after him, reaching for his father's hand. Surprisingly, Schlatt allowed him to hold his hand. That was certainly rare, but it was comforting.

"Listen, kid. I'm gonna be blunt. I don't believe you can do this. Your heart is too soft. But that just makes it more of a challenge. You're going to surprise me, right?" 

The words came out of nowhere, maybe an hour into their walk. The silence had been getting unbearable, but Tubbo desperately wanted to go back to it. "R-right. I can do this, I promise." 

Schlatt nodded, "Good choice of words buddy."

They lapsed into silence again, the minutes ticking away and soreness in their legs beginning to grow. After what felt like forever, they spotted the entrance to Pogtopia in the distance.

Schlatt slipped his hand out of Tubbo's and crouched, gently pulling him down to do the same. He pushed a hand through his son's hair, brushing a thumb against one of his tiny horns. "Check in with me every night. Even if you haven't got any new information, I want to hear from you." He tapped his finger against Tubbo's watch. 

"Okay." Tubbo quickly nodded.

"And if you need me to get you out of there, just send a message and I'll come to get you. Any time, any day." Tubbo had never seen or heard such worry from his father. This was one of the few times he could tell Schlatt cared.

"I'll be safe, dad." He whispered, pulling the man into a gentle hug.

The two of them stood and parted ways.

"Good luck son."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I like Dadschlatt au and no I am not ashamed. 
> 
> Also yes Philza is their biological dad :) (SBI family dynamic is a-go)
> 
> ALSO ALSO I support Ranboo supremacy, I love that he's half enderman
> 
> The plan is to sketch out designs for everyone and post them on twitter as I progress this, so I'll make sure to link the designs when I put them up
> 
> Alright fine, one last note. I want to update weekly, so I'm thinking every Monday. No promises, but I will do my best,


End file.
